Mount with anti-rotation feature

ABSTRACT

A mount for motorcycles and other vehicles is provided that resists relative rotational movement at the connection between the mount and the vehicle, and at the connection between the mount and a plate that supports a portable device such as a GPS, toll transponder, radar collector and the like, while permitting disengagement at such connections in response to the application of a force to the mount.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to mounts for securing portable devices tovehicles, and, more particularly, to a vehicle mount that resistsrelative rotational movement at the connection between the mount and thevehicle and at the connection between the mount and the portable devicewhile permitting disengagement at such connections in response to theapplication of a severe force to the mount.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

High fuel prices and traffic congestion have made motorcycles anincreasingly common mode of transportation, not only for recreationalpurposes but for people commuting to and from their place of employment.While production motorcycles may include some amenities found inautomobiles and other vehicles, such as a radio, they have no means ofproviding riders with ready access to items such as radar detectors,toll road transponders, global positioning devices (GPS), cellulartelephones, cameras, change holders, garage door openers, personaldigital assistants (PDA) and other portable devices.

This deficiency of production motorcycles has been addressed byaftermarket mounting devices that may be secured to different parts ofthe vehicle. These include handlebar mounts, control mounts, stemmounts, fairing mounts, mirror mounts and different specialty mounts. Ineach case, the mount generally comprises a vehicle mounting elementdesigned to attach to a part of the motorcycle such as the handlebars, alower pivot coupled to the vehicle mounting element, a device mountingplate designed to support a number of different portable devices, anupper pivot coupled to the device mounting plate, and, a shaft extendingbetween the upper and lower pivots. The mount is connected to themotorcycle and a portable device such as a GPS is secured to the devicemounting plate, at which time the position of the GPS may be adjusted bymanipulation of one or both of the upper and lower pivots to thesatisfaction of the rider. This arrangement allows the cyclist readyaccess to and/or viewing of a given portable device, and reducespotentially dangerous situations wherein the rider must reach into apocket of his or her clothing, or a storage area of the motorcycle, toaccess a particular device while riding.

Most vehicle mount designs employ a threaded connection between thevehicle mounting element and lower pivot, and between the devicemounting plate and upper pivot, in order to secure them in a fixedposition. Typically, a bolt or other threaded fastener is extendedbetween such elements and tightened down to maintain the portable devicein position during use. This arrangement is less than desirable inseveral respects. Because vehicle mounts of this type are aftermarketitems, they are usually installed by the owner of the motorcycle.Although installation is not difficult, it can be done improperly suchas by failing to adequately tighten the bolts or other fasteners.Further, threaded connections between the vehicle mounting element andlower pivot, and/or between the device mounting plate and upper pivot,can loosen over time given the vibration and jarring of the motorcyclethat takes place when riding. In either case, if such connections becomeloose the vehicle mount can pivot to an undesirable position anddistract the rider potentially leading to injury.

Another potential problem with threaded connections of the type utilizedin conventional aftermarket vehicle mounts involves the performance ofthe mount in the event of an accident. It has been found that theapplication of a sufficient force to a vehicle mount, such as resultingfrom an impact during an accident, can cause the portable device securedto the device mounting plate or the entire mount itself to literally flyoff of the location where it is mounted to the motorcycle. A heavieritem such as a GPS can effectively become a missile under thesecircumstances and cause injury to the rider or to others in the vicinityof the accident.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention is directed to a vehicle mount in which a severable pinconnection is provided at the location where the mount is coupled to thevehicle and where the mount is coupled to a portable device. These pinconnections help resist relative movement at such locations under normaloperating conditions of the vehicle, but may be severed in response tothe application of a severe force to the mount, such as during anaccident, to resist disengagement of the portable device from thevehicle.

In one presently preferred embodiment, the vehicle mount of thisinvention comprises a vehicle mounting element having an anti-rotationpin that seats within a selected one of a number of cavities formed inthe facing surface of a lower coupler to which it is connected. Themount also includes a device mounting plate formed with an anti-rotationpin that seats within one of a number of cavities in the facing surfaceof an upper coupler. Alternatively, the positioning of the anti-rotationpins and cavities may be reversed, i.e. the anti-rotation pins may beformed in the upper and lower couplers while the vehicle mountingelement and device mounting plate have cavities or through bores toreceive such pins. It is contemplated that the upper and lower couplersmay be connected together by a shaft, or they may be directly connectedto one another in which case one of the upper and lower couplers isformed with at least one cavity and the other an anti-rotation pin.

In one embodiment, a threaded connection is provided between the vehiclemounting element and lower coupler, and between the device mountingplate and upper coupler. Alternatively, the lower coupler may be mountedto the vehicle mounting element by clamping an extension formed in thelower coupler between two clamping sections of the vehicle mountingelement. Further, the two couplers may be connected to one another by athreaded fastener. In all embodiments, additional resistance to relativerotation of the mount components is provided by connection of theanti-rotation pins within selected cavities. Even if a bolt or otherthreaded fastener that connects the vehicle mount elements togethershould loosen to some extent, unwanted rotation of such elementsrelative to one another is substantially prevented by the anti-rotationpins.

Another important feature of this invention involves its performance inresponse to the application of a severe force, such as might occurduring an accident. In the presently preferred embodiment, theanti-rotation pins are formed of a first material and the structureformed with cavities or through holes is made of a second material. Oneof the first and second materials is softer than the other.Consequently, in response to the application of a sufficient force tothe vehicle mount, shearing occurs at the interface between theanti-rotation pins and the cavity or hole in which they are seated. Thispermits relative rotation between the upper and lower couplers and thedevice mounting plate and vehicle mounting element, respectively, and/orbetween the two couplers, which helps to prevent the portable devicesupported by the mount, or the mount itself, from being dislodged fromthe motorcycle. The mount essentially “gives way” at the threadedconnections, without coming apart, so that the brunt of the force fromthe accident or the like causes rotation of the mount components ratherthan separating them from the vehicle.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The structure, operation and advantages of the presently preferredembodiment of this invention will become further apparent uponconsideration of the following description, taken in conjunction withthe accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is perspective view of a handlebar mount according to thisinvention;

FIG. 2 is a disassembled, bottom perspective view of the device mountingplate and upper pivot of the mount shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a disassembled, perspective view of the vehicle mountingelement and lower pivot of the mount depicted in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the device mounting plate and upper pivotillustrated in FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is an assembled view of the device mounting plate and upper pivotshown in FIG. 4, with such components in a first position;

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 5 except with such components in asecond position;

FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 5 with the device mounting platerotated in a clockwise direction;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a vehicle mounting element for the stemmount illustrated in FIG. 9;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a stem mount according to thisinvention;

FIG. 10 is a view similar to FIG. 3 except depicting an anti-rotationpin mounted to the couple and cavities formed in the vehicle mountingelement;

FIG. 11 is an exploded, perspective view of an alternative embodiment ofthe vehicle mount of this invention;

FIG. 12 is a disassembled, perspective view of the couplers depicted inFIG. 11;

FIG. 13 is a disassembled, perspective view of the connection betweenthe upper coupler and mounting plate of the mount shown in FIG. 11; and

FIG. 14 is a cross sectional, assembled view of the lower coupler andvehicle mounting element illustrated in FIG. 11.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring initially to FIGS. 1, 8 and 9, two types of vehicle mountsaccording to this invention are shown. As discussed above, mounts forsupporting portable items such as radar detectors, toll roadtransponders, GPS devices, cellular telephones, cameras, change holders,garage door openers, PDAs, radios and other devices have been designedfor attachment to different locations on motorcycles and other vehicles.For purposes of illustration, a handlebar mount 10 is depicted in FIG. 1and a stem mount 12 is shown in FIG. 9. It should be understood that thefollowing discussion applies to any type of vehicle mount formotorcycles and other vehicles, and is not intended to be limited to themounts 10 and 12.

Each of the mounts 10 and 12 comprises a device mounting plate 14, anupper coupler 16, a lower coupler 18, a shaft 20 connected between theupper and lower couplers 16, 18, and, a vehicle mounting element 22. Theterm “vehicle mounting element” as used herein is meant to broadly referto any structure that secures the mount 10 or 12 to the motorcycle orother vehicle. In the case of the handlebar mount 10 shown in FIG. 1,the vehicle mounting element 22 comprises an upper clamp section 24 anda lower clamp section 26 which extend around the handlebar of amotorcycle (not shown) and are connected to one another by one or morebolts 28. The vehicle mounting element 22 of the stem mount 12 comprisesa rod 30 having a radially outwardly extending upper end 32 and an outersurface 34 that mounts three o-rings 36, 38 and 40. Additional structureof the vehicle mounting elements 22 is described below. For purposes ofthe present discussion, the terms “upper,” “lower,” “top” and “bottom”refer to the orientation of the mounts 10 and 12 as depicted in FIGS. 1and 9.

With reference to FIGS. 1-3, the handlebar mount 10 is described in moredetail. The device mounting plate 14 is generally rectangular-shapedformed with a number of device bores 42 arranged in a pattern thatpermits coupling to a number of different portable devices of the typenoted above.

Such devices may include mounting structure such as threaded studs (notshown) extending from the bottom of the device through one or more ofthe device bores 42 to receive nuts (not shown) for mounting the deviceonto the plate 14. Three through bores 44, 46 and 48 are formed near oneend of the plate 14, as shown, and have a chamfer 50 at the top surface52 of the plate 14.

As best seen in FIG. 2, three anti-rotation pins 54, 56 and 58 areconnected to the bottom surface 60 of the plate 14 and extend outwardlytherefrom. The pins 54-58 generally align with respective through bores44-48. The pins 54-58 may be formed of a material having a hardnessgreater or less than that of the upper coupler 16, for purposes tobecome apparent below.

The upper coupler 16 comprises a body portion 62 having an upper planarsurface 64, an outer surface 66 and a beveled surface 68 extendingbetween the planar surface 64 and outer surface 66. Two spaced arms 70and 72 extend downwardly from the body portion 62 to receive the upperend of shaft 20 which is coupled thereto by a bolt 74. A number of blindholes 78, each defining a cavity, are formed in the body portion 62. Theblind holes 78 are circumferentially spaced from one another andradially spaced from an internally threaded bore 80 located at thecenter of the upper planar surface 64.

The blind holes 78 and threaded bore 80 extend from the upper planarsurface 64 of the body portion 62 in a downward direction toward theaims 70, 72.

The device mounting plate 14 and upper coupler 16 are connected to oneanother by a bolt 82 preferably having a head with a countersunk recess84 shaped to fit an Allen wrench (not shown). As best seen in FIGS. 2and 4-7, the device mounting plate 14 and upper coupler 16 are orientedrelative to one another such that the planar surface 64 of the uppercoupler 16 rests against the bottom surface 60 of the device mountingplate 14, with the internally threaded bore 80 in the upper pivot placedin alignment with one of the through bores 44, 46 or 48 of the devicemounting plate 14 and one of the anti-rotation pins 54, 56 or 58 seatedwithin one of the blind holes 78. The bolt 82 is inserted throughwhichever through bore 44, 46 or 48 is placed in alignment with theinternally threaded bore 80 in the upper coupler 16, and then tighteneddown. The head of the bolt 82 is tapered to fit within the chamfer 50 ofthe through bores 44-48 so that it is flush with the upper surface 52 ofthe device mounting plate 14.

The purpose of providing multiple through bores 46-48 in the devicemounting plate 14 is to permit variation of its position relative to theupper coupler 16 and the rest of the mount 10 or 12. Depending upon theconfiguration of a particular motorcycle or other vehicle, and/or thepreferences of the rider, it may be necessary to shift the position ofthe device mounting plate 14 to avoid an obstruction or to place an itemcarried on the mount 10 in a more convenient location for the rider. Anyone of the through bores 44, 46 or 48 may be aligned with the internallythreaded bore 80 of the upper coupler 16, such as the middle bore 46 asshown in FIG. 5 or the bore 48 as depicted in FIG. 6.

In addition to side-to-side adjustment of the position of the devicemounting plate 14 relative to the upper coupler 16, as illustrated inFIGS. 5 and 6, the device mounting plate 14 may be oriented at an anglewith respect to the upper coupler 16 as shown in FIG. 7. The term“angle” in this context refers to the relationship between thelongitudinal axis 84 of the device mounting plate 14 and an axis 86 thatbisects the internally threaded bore 80 of the upper coupler 16 inbetween the two arms 70 and 72. As viewed in FIG. 5, the axes 84 and 86are essentially coincident with one another. In FIG. 6, the devicemounting plate 16 has been moved toward one side of the upper coupler16, e.g. with the through bore 44 in alignment with the internallythreaded bore 80, but no “angle” is formed between the axes 84 and 86because they are substantially parallel to one another. In both FIGS. 5and 6, the same blind hole 78 in the upper coupler 16 receives themiddle anti-rotation pin 56 (FIG. 5) or the anti-rotation pin 54 (FIG.6) located on the device mounting plate 14. The device mounting plate 14may be turned or oriented at an angle relative to the upper coupler 16by aligning one of the anti-rotation pins 54-58 with a different blindhole 78 such that the axes 84 and 86 form an angle relative to oneanother. In FIG. 7, the middle anti-rotation pin 56 is illustrated asbeing located within a different blind hole 78 than the one in which itis seated in FIG. 5, In any case, the beveled surface 68 providesclearance between the upper coupler 16 and the anti-rotation pins 54, 56or 58 regardless of which one of the pins 54-58 is seated within any oneof the blind holes 78.

A generally similar mounting arrangement is provided between the lowercoupler 18 and the vehicle mounting element 22. Referring to theembodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 3, the lower coupler 18 comprisesa body portion 88 having a planar surface 90 and a beveled surface 92.Two spaced arms 94 and 96 extend downwardly from the body portion 88 toreceive the lower end of shaft 20 which is coupled thereto by a bolt 98.A number of blind holes 100, each defining a cavity, are formed in thebody portion 88. The blind holes 100 are circumferentially spaced fromone another and radially spaced from a through bore 102 that passesthrough the body portion 88 at the center of the planar surface 90. Theblind holes 100 extend from the planar surface 90 of the body portion 88in a direction toward the arms 94, 96.

As noted above, the vehicle mounting element 22 of the handlebar mount10 depicted in FIG. 1 includes upper and lower clamp sections 24 and 26.Referring to the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the upper clamp section 24is formed with a planar surface 104 that rests against the planarsurface 90 of the lower coupler 18 when the vehicle mounting element 22and lower coupler 18 are assembled. An internally threaded bore 106 iscentered in the upper clamp section 24, extending from its planarsurface 104 toward the lower clamp section 26, and an anti-rotation pin108 extends outwardly from the planar surface 104 of upper clamp section24 in a position radially spaced from the internally threaded bore 106.When assembled, the through bore 102 in the lower coupler 18 aligns withthe internally threaded bore 106 in the upper clamp section 24 and theanti-rotation pin 108 of the upper clamp section 24 seats within one ofthe blind holes 100 in the lower coupler 18. Depending upon which blindhole 100 receives the anti-rotation pin 108, the lower coupler 18 can bepositioned at different angles relative to the vehicle mounting element22.

An alternative embodiment of the lower coupler 18 and vehicle mountingelement 22 is illustrated in FIG. 10. The structure of lower coupler 18and vehicle mounting element 22 is the same as that shown in FIG. 3,except the position of the anti-rotation pin 108 and blind holes 100 isreversed. Specifically, in FIG. 10 an anti-rotation pin 109 is mountedon the planar surface 90 of the lower coupler 18 and a number of blindholes 101 are formed in the planar surface 104 of the upper clampsection 24 of the vehicle mounting element 22. The blind holes 101 arecircumferentially spaced from one another and radially spaced from thethreaded bore 106 at the center of upper clamp section 24 of vehiclemounting element 22. As seen in FIG. 10, the planar surface 104 of theupper clamp section 24 is wider than that of the embodiment depicted inFIGS. 1 and 3 in order to provide space for the blind holes 101. Whenassembled, the anti-rotation pin 109 of the lower coupler 18 is receivedwithin one of the blind holes 101 in the vehicle mounting element 22.

The same lower coupler 18 shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 is employed in the stemmount 12 illustrated in FIG. 9, but, as noted above, the vehiclemounting element 22 has a different construction than in the embodimentof FIG. 1. In the presently preferred embodiment, as best seen in FIG.8, the upper end 32 of the rod 30 forming the vehicle mounting element22 is formed with a planar surface 110 which rests against the planarsurface 90 of the lower coupler 18 when assembled. An internallythreaded bore 112 is formed in the rod 30, centered on its planarsurface 110, and an anti-rotation pin 114 extends outwardly from theplanar surface 110 of the rod 30 in a position radially spaced from theinternally threaded bore 112. When assembled, the through bore 102 inthe lower coupler 18 aligns with the internally threaded bore 112 in therod 30 and the anti-rotation pin 114 of the rod 30 seats within one ofthe blind holes 100 in the lower coupler 18. A bolt 116 is insertedthrough the through bore 102 in the lower coupler 18 and into theinternally threaded bore 112 of the rod 30 to connect the lower coupler18 to the vehicle mounting element 22. Depending upon which blind hole100 receives the anti-rotation pin 114, the lower coupler 18 can bepositioned at different angles relative to the vehicle mounting element22. It should be understood that the location of anti-rotation pin 114and blind holes 100 may be reversed in the lower coupler 18 employedwith stem mount 12, as in the embodiment shown in FIG. 10. Inparticular, the anti-rotation pin 114 may be formed on the planarsurface 90 or lower coupler 18 and the planar surface 110 of the vehiclemounting element 22 may be formed with blind holes 100.

Referring now to FIGS. 11-14, an alternative embodiment of the vehiclemount 120 of this invention is illustrated. The vehicle mount 120includes a device mounting plate 122, an upper coupler 124, a lowercoupler 126 and a vehicle mounting element 128. The device mountingplate 122 is shown as circular in FIG. 11, but it could be square,rectangular or another shape, as desired. The device mounting plate 122is formed with a number of device bores 130, and three through bores132, 134 and 136 each having a chamfer 138. In the presently preferredembodiment, a number of through holes 140 are formed in the devicemounting plate 122 which are circumferentially spaced from one anotherand radially spaced from the center through bore 134.

The upper coupler 124 has a generally L-shaped body potion 142 formedwith a base section 144 and a leg section 146 oriented perpendicularlyto one another. The base section 144 has a planar surface 148 formedwith a central, internally threaded bore 150 and an anti-rotation pin152 which is spaced from the bore 150. The leg section 146 is formedwith an internally threaded bore 154, and an anti-rotation pin 156extends outwardly from the surface 158 of leg section 146. The devicemounting plate 122 and upper coupler 124 are connected to one another bya bolt 160 which may be inserted into any one of the through bores132-136 and then threaded into the threaded bore 150 in the uppercoupler 124. The anti-rotation pin 152 seats within one of the throughholes 140 in the device mounting plate 122. The positioning of the uppercoupler 124 relative to the three through bores 132-136, and rotation ofthe device mounting plate 122 relative to the upper coupler 124, is thesame as that described above in connection with a discussion of theembodiment of FIGS. 1-7.

As best seen in FIG. 11, the mount 120 differs from mounts 10 and 12 inthat the shaft 20 is eliminated and the upper and lower couplers 124,126 are directly connected to one another. In the presently preferredembodiment, the lower coupler 126 has a generally L-shaped body portionformed with a base section 162 and a leg section 164 orientedperpendicularly to one another. The base section 162 is formed with abottom surface 166 which mounts an extension 168 having acircumferential recess 170. The leg section 164 of lower coupler 126 hasa through bore 172 and a planar surface 174 formed with a number ofinwardly extending blind holes 176.

The upper and lower couplers 124, 126 are connected to one another byplacing their respective leg sections 146 and 164 together such that thethreaded bore 150 in the upper coupler 124 aligns with the through bore172 in the lower coupler 126 and the anti-rotation pin 156 of the uppercoupler 124 extends into one of the blind holes 174 in the lower coupler126. A bolt 178 is inserted through the bore 172 in the lower coupler126 and then into the threaded bore 154 in the upper coupler 124 whereit is tightened down.

The vehicle mounting element 128 of the mount 120 includes and upperclamp section 175 connected to a lower clamp section 177 by bolts 179.In the presently preferred embodiment, the upper clamp section 175 ofmount 120 is formed in two half sections 180 and 182 that may bepartially separated from one another. Referring to FIGS. 11 and 14, thetwo half sections 180, 182 collectively form a through bore 184, which,when the half sections 180, 182 are moved apart, receives the extension168 of the lower coupler 126. The bottom surface 166 of the lowercoupler 126 rests atop a planar surface 186, collectively formed by thehalf sections 180, 182, with the extension 168 seated in the throughbore 184. A cross bore 188 is formed in the upper clamp section 24 ofthe vehicle mounting element 128, comprising an unthreaded portion inhalf section 180 and a threaded portion in the half section 182. A bolt190 is inserted through the unthreaded portion of cross bore 188 in halfsection 180 and then into the threaded portion of cross bore 188 in thehalf section 182. As seen in FIG. 14, the bolt 190 extends within therecess 170 formed in the extension 168 when positioned within the crossbore 188. The bolt 190 is tightened down to draw the two half sections180, 182 together in order to secure the lower coupler 126 within thevehicle mounting element 128. Additionally, the bolt 190 is capturedwithin the recess 170 formed in the extension 168 of the lower coupler126 to further secure the lower coupler 126 and vehicle mounting element128 together.

Threaded connections are employed in the mounts 10, 12 and 120 of thisinvention to connect the device mounting plates 14 and 122 to respectiveupper couplers 16 and 124, to connect the vehicle mounting elements 22and 128 to respective lower couplers 18 and 126, and, to connect theupper and lower couplers 124, 126 to one another. While these threadedconnections are generally effective to secure such components together,it has been found that vibration and jarring applied to the mounts 10,12 and/or 120 during operation of a motorcycle or other vehicle canloosen such connections over time and cause relative rotation betweenthe device mounting plate 14 and upper coupler 16, the device mountingplate 122 and upper coupler 124, the upper and lower couplers 124, 126,the vehicle mounting element 22 and the lower coupler 18, and/or thevehicle mounting element 128 and lower coupler 126. This potentialproblem of relative rotation is addressed by the provision of theanti-rotation pins 54, 56 and 58 located on the device mounting plate14, the anti-rotation pin 108 of vehicle mounting element 22, theanti-rotation pin 114 on the rod 30, the anti-rotation pin 109 on thelower coupler 18, and, the anti-rotation pins 152 and 156 on the uppercoupler 124. These anti-rotation pins 54-58, 108, 109, 114, 152 and 156seat within respective blind holes 78, 100, 101, 176, or within throughholes 140, as discussed above, to resist disengagement of the componentsof the mounts 10, 12 and 120 even in the event of loosening of athreaded connection between them.

Another important feature of the anti-rotation pins 54-58, 108, 109,114, 152 and 156 relates to the performance of the mounts 10, 12 and 120during an accident or other occasion when a severe force is applied tothe mounts 10, 12, or 120 and/or to the vehicle on which they aremounted. In one presently preferred embodiment, each of the devicemounting plates 14 and 122, the upper couplers 16 and 124, the lowercouplers 18 and 126, and, the vehicle mounting elements 22 and 128 aremade of a relatively soft material such as aluminum. The anti-rotationpins 54-58, 108, 109, 114, 152 and 156, on the other hand, may be formedof a material that is harder than aluminum, such as steel, or ofmaterial having less hardness than aluminum. For purposes of the presentdiscussion, the term “hardness” refers to the property of a metal whichgives it the ability to resist permanent deformation, e.g. being bent,broken or undergoing a change in shape, in response to the applicationof a load. The greater the hardness of a metal, the more resistant it isto deformation. While the anti-rotation pins 54-58, 108, 109, 114, 152and 156 function to resist rotation of components during normaloperation of the mounts 10, 12 and 120, as described above, in responseto the application of a severe force to the mounts 10, 12, 120, or tothe vehicle that carries them, shearing occurs at the point ofconnection of the anti-pins 54-58, 108, 109, 114, 152 and 156 torespective components 14, 16, 18, 22, 122, 124 and 126. If the pins54-58, 108, 109, 114, 152 and 156 are formed of a material having ahardness greater than that of the components 14, 16, 18, 22, 122 and126, then shearing occurs in between the blind holes 78, 100, 101, 124and 176, or between the through holes 140. Alternatively, if thehardness of the components 14, 16, 18, 22, 122 and 126 exceeds that ofthe anti-rotation pins 54-58, 108, 109, 114, 152 and 156, then they willshear off in response to the application of a force. In either case,relative rotation between the device mounting plates 14, 122 and uppercouplers 16, 124, between the vehicle mounting elements 22, 128 and thelower couplers 18, 126, and, between the upper and lower couplers 124,126, is permitted to the extent that the bolts that connect themtogether are loosened by such force. In essence, at least some rotationof such components provides “give” in the mounts 10, 12 and 120 so thata portable device carried by the device mounting plates 14 and 122 doesnot become a projectile during an accident. By allowing some “give” inthe components of mounts 10, 12 and 120 during an accident, the forceapplied to the portable device tends to allow at least a limitedrotation of such device rather than causing it to fly off of the mount10, 12 or 120 potentially causing injury to the rider or others.

While the invention has been described with reference to a preferredembodiment, it should be understood by those skilled in the art thatvarious changes may be made and equivalents substituted for elementsthereof without departing from the scope of the invention. In addition,many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation ormaterial to the teachings of the invention without departing from theessential scope thereof.

For example, the upper and lower pivots 16, 18 shown in the Figs. are ofthe type that permit rotation about the axis of the bolts 74 and 98 thatmount the shaft 20 to such pivots 16, 18. It should be understood thatother types of pivots may be employed, including ball-and-socket typepivots or others that permit motion about multiple axes.

Therefore, it is intended that the invention not be limited to theparticular embodiment disclosed as the best mode contemplated forcarrying out this invention, but that the invention will include allembodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims.

1. Apparatus for mounting a portable device to a vehicle, comprising: avehicle mounting element adapted to mount to the vehicle, said vehiclemounting element having a first clamping section, a mating secondclamping section, a first bore partially formed in each of said firstand second clamping sections and a cross bore extending between saidfirst and second clamping sections which intersects said first bore; afirst coupler formed with a first surface and an extension, saidextension having a first end portion, a second end portion and acircumferentially extending recess located between said first and secondend portions, each of said first and second end portions having adiameter which is greater than the diameter of said recess, saidextension being received within said first bore and rotatable therein toany position wherein at least a portion of said recess aligns with saidcross bore; a mounting element insertable within said cross bore of saidvehicle mounting element and into said portion of said recess whichaligns with said cross bore, said mounting element being captured withinsaid recess of said extension between said first and second end portionsthereof, said mounting element being effective to urge said first andsecond clamping sections toward one another to clamp said extensionbetween them; a second coupler formed with a second surface and a thirdsurface engageable within said first surface of said first coupler, oneof said first surface of said first coupler and said third surface ofsaid second coupler being formed with at least one first cavity and theother of said first and third surfaces being formed with a firstanti-rotation pin, said first and second couplers being connected to oneanother so that said first anti-rotation pin seats within said at leastone first cavity to resist relative rotational movement between saidfirst and second couplers; a device mounting plate which is effective tosupport the portable device in position for ready access by an operatoror passenger of the vehicle, one of said device mounting plate and saidsecond surface of said second coupler being formed with at least onesecond cavity and the other of said device mounting plate and saidsecond surface of said second coupler being formed with a secondanti-rotation pin, said device mounting plate and said second couplerbeing connected to one another so that said second anti-rotation pinseats within said at least one second cavity to resist relativerotational movement between said second coupler and said device mountingplate.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1 in which said one of said firstcoupler and said second coupler having said at least one first cavitybeing formed of a first material, said first anti-rotation pin beingformed of a second material, one of said first and second materialshaving a hardness greater than the other so that in response to theapplication of a force to the apparatus one of said first anti-rotationpin and said first or second couplers undergoes shearing causing saidfirst anti-rotation pin to break off or causing said first anti-rotationpin to break through said at least one first cavity thus permittingrelative rotation between said first and second couplers.
 3. Theapparatus of claim 1 in which said one of said second coupler and saiddevice mounting plate having said at least one second cavity beingformed of a first material, said second anti-rotation pin being formedof a second material, one of said first and second materials having ahardness greater than the other so that in response to the applicationof a sufficient force to the apparatus one of said second anti-rotationpin and said second coupler or device mounting plate undergoes shearingcausing said second anti-rotation pin to break off or causing saidsecond anti-rotation pin to break through said at least one secondcavity thus permitting relative rotation between said second coupler andsaid device mounting plate.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1 in which said atleast one first cavity comprises a number of blind holes.
 5. Theapparatus of claim 4 in which said first anti-rotation pin ispositionable into any one of said blind holes, the position of saidfirst and second couplers relative to one another being varied dependingupon in which one of said blind holes said first anti-rotation pin isseated.
 6. The apparatus of claim 1 in which said at least one secondcavity comprises a number of through bores formed in said devicemounting plate.
 7. The apparatus of claim 6 in which said secondanti-rotation pin is formed on said second surface of said secondcoupler, said second anti-rotation pin being positionable into any oneof said through bores, the position of said second coupler and saiddevice mounting plate relative to one another being varied dependingupon in which one of said through bores said second anti-rotation pin isseated.
 8. Apparatus for mounting a portable device to a vehicle,comprising: a vehicle mounting element, said vehicle mounting elementbeing adapted to mount to the vehicle; a first coupler; a first mountingelement connecting said first coupler and said vehicle mounting element;a device mounting plate which is effective to support the portabledevice in position for ready access by the operator or passenger of thevehicle; a second coupler, one of said second coupler and said devicemounting plate being formed with an anti-rotation pin and the other ofsaid second coupler and said device mounting plate being formed with atleast one cavity; a second mounting element connecting said secondcoupler and said device mounting plate so that said anti-rotation pinseats within said at least one cavity to resist relative rotationalmovement between said second coupler and said device mounting plate;said one of said second coupler and said device mounting plate havingsaid at least one cavity being formed of a first material and saidanti-rotation pin being formed of a second material, one of said firstand second materials having a hardness greater than the other so that inresponse to the application of a sufficient force to said apparatus oneof said anti-rotation pin and said device mounting plate undergoesshearing causing said anti-rotation pin to break off or causing saidanti-rotation pin to break through said at least one cavity thuspermitting relative rotation between said second coupler and said devicemounting plate; said first coupler and said second coupler beingconnected to one another.
 9. The apparatus of claim 8 in which saiddevice mounting plate is formed with a first surface, said anti-rotationpin extending outwardly from said first surface of said device mountingplate, said second coupler being formed with a second surface, said atleast one cavity extending inwardly from said second surface of saidsecond coupler, said anti-rotation pin of said device mounting platebeing received within said at least one cavity of said second coupler.10. Apparatus for mounting a portable device to a vehicle, comprising: avehicle mounting element adapted to mount to a vehicle; a devicemounting element which is effective to support the portable device inposition for ready access by an operator or passenger of the vehicle; acoupling structure connecting said vehicle mounting element and saiddevice mounting element; one of said vehicle mounting element and saidcoupling structure being formed with an extension and the other of saidvehicle mounting element and said coupling structure being formed with afirst clamping section at least partially separated from a secondclamping section, said extension having a first end portion, a secondend portion and a circumferentially extending recess located betweensaid first and second end portions, each of said first and second endportions having a diameter which is greater than the diameter of saidrecess, a first bore partially formed in each of said first and secondclamping sections and a second bore partially formed in each of saidfirst and second sections which intersects said first bore, saidextension being insertable within said first bore and rotatable thereinto any position wherein at least a portion of said recess of saidextension aligns with said second bore; a mounting element insertablewithin said second bore and into said portion of said recess whichaligns with said second bore, said mounting element being capturedwithin said recess of said extension between said first and second endportions thereof, said mounting element being effective to urge saidfirst and second clamping sections toward one another to clamp saidextension between them.
 11. The apparatus of claim 10 in which saidfirst and second bores are substantially perpendicular to one another.12. The apparatus of claim 10 in which one of said vehicle mountingelement and said coupling structure is formed with a slot, said slotseparating said first and second clamping sections from one another. 13.The apparatus of claim 12 in which said first bore is partially formedin each of said first and second clamping sections and spans said slot.14. The apparatus of claim 12 in which said second bore has a firstportion formed in said first clamping section, and a second portionformed in said second clamping section, said first and second portionsof said second bore aligning with one another and being separated bysaid slot.
 15. The apparatus of claim 14 in which at least one of saidfirst and second portions of said second bore is internally threaded.16. Apparatus for mounting a portable device to a vehicle, comprising: avehicle mounting element adapted to mount to a vehicle; a devicemounting element which is effective to support the portable device inposition for ready access by an operator or passenger of the vehicle; acoupling structure extending between said vehicle mounting element andsaid device mounting element; a joint connection which is effective toconnect said coupling structure to at least one of said vehicle mountingelement and said device mounting element, said joint connectioncomprising: (i) an extension formed on at least one of said vehiclemounting element, said device mounting element and said couplingstructure, said extension having a first end portion, a second endportion and a circumferentially extending recess located between saidfirst and second end portions, each of said first and second endportions having a diameter which is greater than the diameter of saidrecess; (ii) a slot formed in at least one of the other of said vehiclemounting element, said device mounting element and said couplingstructure, said slot defining a first clamping section and secondclamping section; (iii) a first bore partially formed in each of saidfirst and second clamping sections and spanning said slot; (iv) a secondbore partially formed in each of said first and second clamping sectionswhich intersects said first bore, said extension being insertable withinsaid first bore and rotatable therein to any position wherein at least aportion of said recess of said extension aligns with said second bore;(v) a mounting element insertable within said second bore and into saidportion of said recess which aligns with said second bore, said mountingelement being captured within said recess of said extension between saidfirst and second end portions thereof, said mounting element beingeffective to urge said first and second clamping sections toward oneanother to clamp said extension between them.
 17. The apparatus of claim16 in which said second bore has a first portion formed in said firstclamping section and a second portion formed in said second clampingsection, said first and second portions of said second bore aligningwith one another and being separated by said slot.
 18. The apparatus ofclaim 16 in which said first and second bores are substantiallyperpendicular to one another.
 19. The apparatus of claim 16 in whichsaid vehicle mounting element comprises an upper body portion and alower body portion, said upper and lower body portions being separablefrom one another for placement about the handlebar of the vehicle andbeing adapted to be clamped in place on the handlebar, said upper bodyportion being formed with said slot defining said first and secondclamping sections and said coupling structure being formed with saidextension.